Shopping Around: September

This month it’s all about looking and feeling good

By Mary Kate Hogan

Photograph: Gus Cantavero

Dancing Feet

With shows like Dancing with the Stars en vogue, stepping out onto the floor is more popular than ever. In celebration of its 100-year anniversary, local dance studio Arthur Murray is offering you your first class free plus an introductory special of two private lessons plus one group class for $49. Whether you’re part of a soon-to-be-married couple and want to perfect your moves before the big day or a single who’s looking to tango or rhumba, Arthur Murray has a class to suit. The studio under new ownership of Christine Georgopulo, a corporate real estate executive turned competitive dancer, has recently unveiled the renovated, Regency-inspired Grande Ballroom on Lewis Street, where students gather for classes and social events. “From five-year olds to eighty-five-year olds, we’re all about social dancing,” says Christine. At the studio, there are group classes nightly and twice a month there’s a party or social event. Arthur Murray is also involved in charitable efforts, including the free Dance for Your Health program with Greenwich Hospital cancer patients and several upcoming initiatives with the American Cancer Society and the Wounded Warrior Project. “Dancing reduces stress and increases energy,” says Christine, who adds, “All I hear all day long is music and laughter.”

Organic on the Go

If you’re resolved to eat healthier, but don’t always have time to cook, Green & Tonic’s new café and to-go shop in Cos Cob makes it easy. At this new flagship location, you can pick up delicious ready-made salads, wraps, juices, nut “mylk” shakes, smoothies and more seven days a week, or order online to have the food delivered. Almost every item sold here is vegan, but these nutrient-rich dishes are packed with flavor, such as a cream of mushroom soup, that gets its creaminess from hazelnuts, a vegan tuna salad made with chick peas, nuts and amino acids, and a curried almond salad that’s a super-tasty substitute for curried chicken. The juices are cold-pressed using a machine that gently grates the vegetables and then presses them to extract 99 percent of the nutrients. “People understand the value of eating right,” says Jeff Pandolfino, who owns the business with a few health-minded partners. “We’re designed for people who want to incorporate this lifestyle but don’t want the inconvenience of making their own juice, buying all organic produce.” For five years, Jeff ran Plum Pure Foods with his wife, Cai, and is now returning to Greenwich after working on various projects with restaurants in the city. Welcome back Jeff!

Gold Standard

Browsing at Sorab & Roshi, a boutique fine jeweler that just opened in town, is like visiting a museum where you covet the collectibles in each case. But here at the store, you can meet the designer in his workshop, examine the gems in person (with help from his wife, Roshi Ameri) and purchase the wearable art for your own wardrobe. This bold jewelry is crafted from rare colored diamonds, rubies, emeralds, aquamarines, pearls, corals and other gemstones set in 18K gold and fashioned into pieces that resemble animals or nature, such as a fish pin made of abalone pearls and green diamonds and a dragonfly created from rock crystal, aquamarine, diamonds and pearls. “The pieces talk to you, they have volume and movement,” says Roshi. Sorab has designed necklaces, bracelets, earrings and pins that have been sold by auction at Christie’s and Phillip’s and featured in Town and Country and Veranda; he was once the exclusive designer for Charlotte Moss’s Madison Avenue store. These one-of-a-kind finds are often the signature jewelry for the designer’s loyal customers. “Some of our clients already have Cartier and VanCleef, but they want something that represents them,” says Roshi. If you’ve inherited jewelry that’s beautiful but not quite your style, Sorab & Roshi will also transform old jewelry into pieces that are more wearable for today.